


A Midwinter Night's Dream

by Notebooked



Category: BanG Dream! (Anime), BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Humor, Romance, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:35:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28015563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Notebooked/pseuds/Notebooked
Summary: Rimi's gotten a brief text message inviting her to a local café. Fortunately, it's from the girl of her dreams. Unfortunately, it's from the girl of her dreams. Will her nerves get the better of her? (Written for a private Secret Santa.)
Relationships: Seta Kaoru/Ushigome Rimi
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15





	A Midwinter Night's Dream

The downtown area: Home to cafés, restaurants, leisure spots, parks...and, at the present moment, roughly two tons of stress distributed evenly among the adult populace. Position yourself anywhere on the streets of a small town in mid-December and you'll see the frantic bustle of preparation whichever way you turn, framed by the still twinkling of storefront displays and street decorations. Single mothers negotiating time off on their cell phone while holding the hands of their starstruck kids. Students scrutinizing shop windows in pursuit of something to catch the delicate tightrope walk between affectionate and awkward. Battle-hardened grandmothers carrying three bags on each arm, whose grim faces still unfailingly crack into smiles at the sight of children chasing each other through backalleys and side-roads.

And, standing at the intersection outside one particular café, a second-year student at Hanasikagawa high school. Rimi Ushigome shuddered, blowing into her gloved hands and rubbing them together. Her coat had taken the brunt of the damage, but maybe she should've worn more layers...even though it was only a few degrees below freezing, it was supposed to snow later in the day. Not that that was all that bad—the sight of a snow-blanketed landscape always seemed to calm her down. Behind her, she could hear the sounds of tinkling glass and amiable chatter, but they barely made a dent on her concentration. She had reasons to be out here; reasons that kept her eyes locked on the constant flood of passersby, scanning across each face in the crowd, gaze skipping from person to person until—

There. Her eyes widened and she let out a reflexive gasp, catching herself mid-breath and only barely avoiding a coughing fit. To be frank, keeping such a firm focus on the crowd had probably been unnecessary. Even if her target hadn't been a head taller than most of the crowd, there was something about her which inevitably drew the attention, some natural aura of magnetism that specifically tugged at the eyeballs. Her height, her bold motions, the color of her hair...it was hard not to glance at her, at least once, before going about your business and turning away. Rimi didn't turn away, transfixed by the approaching figure; her posture, the way her hair swayed gently as she walked...a low voice at the back of her brain reminded her it was rude to focus this intently, but she couldn't help herself, staring and spellbound.

Kaoru Seta. Proud. Carefree. Bold. _Perfect._

Everything she wasn't, everything she couldn't be, wrapped up in a glamorous five-foot-six figure. Clad in a sleek, long coat, Kaoru continued down the streets as the crowd ebbed and flowed around her. _She swoops and sweeps everywhere_ , a lone voice in Rimi's brain piped up, and she spent a few moments puzzling the thought out. It was true, though. Swooping into action, swooping into a room, sweeping people off their feet...with just one look at that princely smile, and those sparkling eyes—

Rimi froze, and not for temperature-related reasons. The princely smile wasn't present, and those sparkling eyes were fixed directly on her. As Kaoru spotted her she paused momentarily, then took her hands out of her pockets. Then, to Rimi's alternating delight and horror, she dashed at full speed down the street. As she zoomed closer like a purple-haired comet Rimi's brain kicked into overdrive, simultaneously constructing a disparate set of apologies for staring, apologies in case she'd made her worried, and apologies for anything miscellaneous that may or may not have come up. As Kaoru skidded to a halt in front of her, her face set in a grave mask of concern, Rimi took a deep breath and—

"My sincerest apologies, my little kitten. Some preparations at the theater club went past schedule, and my customary steed had a will of its own..." Kaoru's hand swept across her chest and settled over her heart, casting her eyes down at Rimi with unwavering focus. Rimi was knocked off balance with a one-two combo; her unexpected remorse, and her choice of words.

"Steed? You—" A pause. No, not even Kaoru would ride a white horse through the city streets, not when it was two-shirts-and-a-coat weather. There was practically an audible click as Rimi slotted the puzzle pieces together. "Oh, that's right! The Shinjuku line got delayed today, didn't it?" A sage nod, brow furrowed in a show of remorse. Rimi felt a strange shift in internal balance as her priorities shifted from making sure she wasn't a nuisance to making sure Kaoru knew she absolutely wasn't a nuisance-she shook her head and hands vigorously all at once. "Ah, d-don't worry about it! It's no problem at all! I haven't been waiting for long, so..."

"Is that so...?" Kaoru's face relaxed for just a moment, mouth softening into a small but warm smile. Then, like someone had flipped a switch, her eyebrows arched, her other hand clutched at the one over her heart, and her smile turned spotlight-strength, radiant enough to illuminate an audience from stage. "Ah...! Your warm heart could melt the snow from the streets!"

 _There wasn't any snow to start with,_ Rimi mused. "A-ah..." Rimi said. Briefly she found herself wondering if there was construction work starting nearby, before realizing that was just the sound of her own thundering heartbeat. Within seconds she snapped to as if she'd jolted awake, remembering the chill in the air and the inviting lights in the café. "O-oh! Uhm—right—" She started reaching for the door but Kaoru had already snagged the handle, swishing it open with a merry tinkling from the store bell.

"After you."

Murmuring multiple thanks in quick succession Rimi scurried inside, followed by Kaoru's soft and mellow strides. As the door slid shut Rimi heaved a soft sigh, the heat settling around her like a thick blanket and pulling the chill from her fingertips. She loosened her scarf, taking in the sights and sounds of the busy café. Most tables were occupied and the sounds of soft lunchtime chatter, enthusiastic gossip, and the occasional peal of laughter permeated the room, making it feel both smaller and cozier than one might assume from its spacious layout. There was an oddity to the scene, though—a white-beige blur topped with a patch of brown zipping from table to table, around the presence of which glasses and plates seemed to tracelessly vanish, swooped into its localized maelstrom. It swirled past the line of tables and as it approached the door the blur turned out to be a young and highly frazzled-looking woman, turned away from our entering couple. "Be right with you, sir!" She snapped her gaze to her new guests, customer-service smile seeming genuine but strained. "Sorry, now, what can I do for—" As her eyes focused her hand jolted, prompting her to quickly counterbalance herself to avoid dropping her tray of empty glasses. "Ah, Kaoru?! Rimi, too!"

"Ah-hi, Tsugumi!" Rimi gave her a soft smile. "That's right, I forgot this was your café...I didn't think you'd be working!" It shouldn't have been the kind of thing that could slip her mind, but ever since receiving Kaoru's brief text message ("Greetings, my little kitten. On the twelfth of the twelfth, may I ask you to grace me with your presence?", she'd gone over it so many times she'd memorized every word) the meeting had been the only thing on her mind.

"I didn't think so either, but we needed extra people for the lunch rush—I should've known, though, we're always really busy around this time of year so..." Tsugumi faltered for a moment. Floating around her was the thick, overbearing aura of someone who already had too many things to do and had now found themselves with too many plus one. She threw a series of quick glances across several waiting patrons before turning back to the two, shaking her head briskly. "A-ah, sorry! I don't really have the time to talk, and I'm sure you don't have the time to listen—"

"Ah, no! It—it's alright!" Rimi said, shaking her head. "I really shouldn't have distracted you—"

Their voices ping-ponged to and fro in a series of hasty explanations and reassurances that tripped over both themselves and the other, but eventually Kaoru's voice cut through the back-and-forth. "If I may, my little kitten...table for two, please."

The apologetic duo took a deep breath each, grateful for the interruption. "Sure! We should have one spare, just let me, uh—" With quick paces, she led the pair to a small table. After a quick wipe-down and cutlery replacement, Tsugumi turned to a spot across the room and hollered "Coming, sir!", morphing back into blur-form as she went. Kaoru slid into her seat and Rimi followed suit, removing her coat. Looking after Tsugumi, she couldn't help but admire her tenacity; balancing school, the band, her duties at the student council and the family's café couldn't be an easy feat, but she always seemed to knuckle down and put in her best effort.

Kaoru followed Rimi's lingering gaze and smiled softly to herself, closing her eyes and bringing a vastly flourishing hand up to her chin. "An admirable soul, in deed and spirit."

"A-ah, yeah!" Rimi turned back around, moderately flustered. Had Kaoru read her mind or just her face? "She really is..." She shook the thought out of her head, straining herself to focus. Meeting Kaoru alone was the only thing she could think about for days, so why was her brain straying now? She grasped the glass of water in front of her, tapping it rhythmically with her fingertips at a pace that went rapidly uptempo as Kaoru hung her coat over the back of her seat. Oh. Right.

A truth dawned on her that she'd been somewhat reluctant to admit: Because she was meeting Kaoru alone, her brain _had_ to stray. The reality of the moment felt too strange, daydreamy and surreal to stay mentally present. To Rimi, Kaoru certainly drew the eye, but she seemed almost impossibly difficult to make eye contact with. Despite having known her for some time now there was always something...enigmatic about her, something unshakably calm. A natural confidence, unimaginable to her. She peered into her glass of water, now rippling slightly from the thumping of her fingers. Maybe it'd get easier once they—"Sorry, guys!" Tsugumi pulled back in like a vehicle screeching to a halt, clicking a pen out and pressing it to her notebook. "Are you ready to order?"

"A delicate moment craves a delicate meal..." Kaoru flipped her menu shut, handing it back to Tsugumi with a smile. "Sachertorte and a mocha, if you please."

"Oh, ah—" Rimi's eyes hastily scrutinized the day's specials, landing on a spot mainly by chance. "Tiramisu, maybe...? It sounds interesting—oh, and a latte, thanks...would that be alr—" She turned to check but Tsugumi was already gone, practically leaving dust in her wake as she saw to the next table over. Rimi blinked, but couldn't help but smile. She turned back, making unwavering eye contact with the table's off-center segment and balling her hands up in her lap in an effort to keep them from shaking. "I haven't really been to this place much...I wasn't sure what would be good."

Kaoru put one hand to her chin, eyes downcast in musing contemplation. "Every treat on their menu is, indeed, a treat. Their culinary craftsmanship is nothing short of exquisite." There was a faint nod from Rimi's side of the table. Kaoru's brow wrinkled slightly, wearing the expression of someone who's angled for a reaction and has turned out to use the wrong bait. She leaned across the table, smile still present but dimmer. "My little kitten, I'd be a terrible actor if I couldn't tell the mood of my co-stars. Ever since we came in, you've seemed unmistakably nervous." A pause as she leaned back, resting one arm on the table and pressing her hand to her chin. "Concerns about school? Tragedy in the band?" Her fingers fanned out. "Or does my grand presence truly pierce your heart so?"

"Um, I—well—" Reflexively, Rimi could feel her hands clenching tighter. "Mostly I was wondering what you wanted to talk to me about. Your message came sort of out of the blue, so..." At the surface of her heart, she had a vague and foggy feeling she knew why. A general exchange of pleasantries, most likely, a sort of season's greetings to anyone who might've extended their appreciation throughout the year. It was a bittersweet thought, but mostly sweet—Kaoru was thoughtful like that. To the extent that Rimi was special to her, she was sure she was special in the same way all her fans and admirers were. There was an air of genuine appreciation to Kaoru's gratitude towards her fans that inevitably made any admirer the subject of a two-way adoration. She was fine with that! Being a distant observer was the most comfortable thing to be to a star-after all, if stars get too close, it's hard to look directly at them. ...As proven in this meeting, really.

"Aha..." Kaoru's smile returned and she heaved a gentle sigh. The mild note of concern present in her voice was gone, replaced by her usual billowing charm. "I must admit, my aims are somewhat clouded. With this meeting, I didn't intend to speak of anything in particular, but only to someone in particular..." Her half-lidded eyes opened fully. With how much Rimi felt her face boil, Kaoru might as well have had heat vision. "You, of course. And, while I was here, I thought it fit to hand over an early Christmas gift."

"Oh—" Did she say that to all the little kittens, too? It was certainly possible, but...Rimi felt less sure about that one. "—th-thank you so much! But, I didn't get you anything—"

"It is a gesture of affection, not an exchange. But if you wish to see it as such, any gratitude you show will be more than enough." She splayed her fingers wide, twirling her wrist in a magician-like flourish. "It is...but that."

"I-I see..." Rimi closed her eyes, pushing her nerves aside and mustering a mild smile. "Well, tha—" There was a quick and sharp clattering sound, porcelain and glass. Looking down, Rimi saw a delicately-layered cake, a frothy cup of coffee, and out of the corner of her eye, a swiftly disappearing blur. ...She really did work hard, huh...leaning back, Rimi took a sip of her coffee, curling her fingers around the mug and letting the comforting heat wind its way through her hands. "Aah, that's really nice..." Silence fell again, prompting her to feel a bit awkward. She was sure Kaoru could carry the conversation as a one-man show if she wanted, but she performed enough on stage—it wouldn't be so hard to talk to her if they stuck to mundane subjects, right? Rimi bolstered her spirits before speaking up again. "I never really liked black coffee much. It feels kind of embarassing, honestly...especially since people like Yukina look so mature, drinking it."

"On the contrary. A gentle flower still blooms strong, and there is a tongue for every taste..." With dreamlike movements kaoru shifted from one pose to the other, seemingly split between her aphorisms. Her eyes snapped open—there always seemed to be a snap, and maybe a faint twinkle, like she was constantly being followed by a camera crew and/or special effects team—and she straightened up, fixing Rimi with her gaze. "Your distaste for bitterness is nothing to be ashamed of. It simply shows you have an appreciation for subtle, intermingling nuances of flavor."

Wiping some steamed milk off her lip (and using as much handkerchief surface area as she could to cover a slight blush), Rimi gingerly grabbed her fork. "Mmhm, that's certainly one way to see it...thank you." She glanced up at Kaoru's drink, laden with cream and milk, and smiled as she put two and two together. "Ah—I guess you don't like black coffee either, right?"

Kaoru turned her head very slightly to the side, putting a hand to her chin. "...I have an appreciation for subtle, intermingling nuances of flavor."

"Oh, a-ahaha...right." Cautiously, Rimi lifted a forkful of tiramisu to her mouth and tried it. As she did so her eyes widened just a smidge, taken by the soft creaminess and vibrant tinge of cocoa. "Oh, wow...I thought it'd be good, but this is delicious!" Kaoru beamed at her, picking at her sachertorte but remaining firmly focused on Rimi. She propped up her elbow on the table, leaning further over it.

"A delicacy from the shores of Italy...the birthplace of Romeo and Juliet couldn't disappoint." She brought a piece of torte to her mouth, studying it intently. "The great bard coined the phrase 'the food of love'...one must imagine that the love of food is just as bracing for the soul."

"Right!" A bit more enthusiasm projected through her voice than Rimi had expected, as if she was being called on for a pop quiz. In a way, she was—she'd watched two documentaries on Shakespeare in preparation for their date, as well as one loosely-based-on-real-events romantic comedy. She mulled over the words, echoing them around in an attempt to ring the bell of memory. Finally, she perked up. "Ah—the food of love...that was music, wasn't it?"

"Yes..." A solemn nod, and when she next spoke Kaoru's voice wavered slightly. "It truly was."

A brief pause as Rimi tried to put her brain in reverse to get out of this cul-de-sac of a conversation. "...um, right—" Maybe she was out of her depth in the late-greats of 17th century English literature. The tiramisu continued to disappear, munch by munch, as she pivoted out and veered into more familiar territory. "Anyway, this—I wasn't sure if I'd like anything here. Mostly we just get pastries from my friend Saaya's bakery—"

"Mhmm. You have a particular fondness for their chocolate cornets, correct?"

"Y-yes!" Rimi's eyes sparkled for a second, marvelling at the depths of her knowledge, before recalling she'd brought Kaoru two chocolate cornets every Valentine's Day since she first met her. (Always starting with the back-of-head intent that maybe after opening them Kaoru would ask her to stay and share one, and always ending with Rimi bolting before the first piece of wrapping paper got even remotely displaced.) Still...she remembered! "It's nice to get out of your comfort zone a bit, I think. It always seems to open up new possibilities, you know?"

A stoic nod. "In the words of a late poet, variety's the very spice of life—" Her arm unfolded into a large sweeping gesture, during which a tiny chunk of sachertorte unceremoniously dropped from her fork and onto the floor. "—that gives it all its flavor." She put the empty fork to her mouth, paused for a moment, then began chewing. Rimi was awestruck: An actor to the end.

"Mhm!" With the chill gone and the ice broken, her nerves were steadying a little. Her heart was still thumping fast from an uneven and constantly shifting mix of excitement and nervousness, but looking into her eyes, it was hard not to feel...whisked away, the utmost focus of a prince's adventure. She prodded into the last remnants of her cake. "Although, I'm sure it's not that new for you—you must come here often, right? I mean, I know Kanon visits this place a lot with Chisato, so—" Glancing upwards, she froze, her fork slipping out of her fingers and clattering back onto her plate. It might've gone unnoticed to someone who didn't know her as well, or someone who wasn't quite so engrossed in studying her face, but there had been a mild twitch at Kaoru's lips and a small lowering of her eyebrows that she'd never seen before.

It was small. It was probably nothing. And yet it made every muscle in Rimi's body tense up enough to jolt in her seat, all synapses firing recklessly to hit the goal of successfully backpedalling. "Uh, I—that is—s-sorry! If something happened, I didn't mean to—" Kaoru held up a hand, which slowed her apologies, and smiled, which stopped them completely.

"Don't let concerns of mine weigh down your heart, Rimi. In the impeccable words of the great Shakespeare," Shutting her eyes, she let her hands spread and raised her shoulders. "'What's done is done.' Chisato wanders the path to her own potential, fraught with pitfalls and perils; when her road rejoins mine, I will be waiting." Her eyes opened again and she leaned across the table, resting her elbows near its center and clasping her hands. "For now, I am in the midst of a scintillating conversation with a wonderful little kitten. What else could I concern myself with?"

"U-uh..." Not for the first time, Rimi was struck speechless. Her reassuring words, her sharp features, and the constant, gentle pressure of her eyes, always seeming to catch exactly the right angles of light to retain a mild twinkle whichever way she turned them. Then she looked down and noticed how close her hands were. It was a simple, factual observation at first, which flung all her thoughts into the well of its gravity once she came up with the possible implication: Was she doing it on _purpose_? Did she want her to...

Under the table her hands balled up around the thick fabric of her dress with a grip tight enough to whiten her knuckles. As she was hunting the thought down to its inevitable-but-impossible conclusion, Kaoru softly leant back once more. Rimi reemerged in reality, still catching her breath. "I'll get the tab. Or would you like another coffee?" Her shoulder shifted as she moved to raise her hand. Rimi inhaled, letting her gaze bounce around the café to regain her bearings—and, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Tsugumi, back stiff as a board and eyes dead-set forward, with two trays precariously balancing a mountain of glasses and a hefty layering of used plates, strewn willy-nilly with forks and knives. Rimi snapped her eyes back to Kaoru, who was breathing in and opening her mouth.

Getting a mental flash of an impending cutlery cascade, Rimi scrambled into action. "Ah, w-wait—" Her brain registered what was happening two steps behind her body. Otherwise, chances are it would've pulled the brakes immediately. In a flash she was thrusting her arm towards Kaoru's raised hand, her other hand gripping the edge of the table to steady herself. Kaoru's eyes widened, a brief flash of shock passing over her face, as Rimi's outstretched fingers slipped into hers.

There is a saying: Time flies like an arrow. In this moment time's arrow seemed to be submerged in syrup, each nanosecond stretching on for ages before latching into the next. Sensations registered with a thousandfold intensity—the gentle waft of chocolate, the warmth of her fingers, the twin pulsing of their mismatched heartbeats. Sound, though, was missing, as if the universe had separated them from the fervent chatter of the surrounding café sealed them into a private bubble.

If she focused—if she _really_ focused—Rimi could swear she could see the air sparkling.

Kaoru squeezed back. The spell was broken.

Rimi fell back into her seat to the freshly-restarted laughter of other patrons and the sound of Tsugumi heaving a sigh of relief as she brought the trays safely to their destination. She was briefly exuberant, quickly taken aback, and—facing Kaoru's irrepressible smirk—desperate to explain herself. Her arm shot back to her portion of the table, nearly banging it against the side in her haste as she took a deep breath before bursting forth with a flood of justification. "She—she just seemed really busy! It felt like a shame to bother her at a time like this, and—and— _and_!" She pointed accusatorily towards exhibit A, a small pool of cream melting into a puddle at the bottom of Kaoru's cup. "You still haven't finished your coffee!"

"Ah...?" A quick glance followed her finger, and Kaoru gave a firm nod. "You're quite right. I suppose we shall simply have to stay for a while longer, no?" She rested her chin in one hand, slim fingers curved along the side of her face.

"Y-yeah!" The knot in her chest that had bound tighter and tighter over the course of the encounter finally seemed to loosen a little. Rimi found herself wondering what that pulling sensation was on her face, before realizing she was smiling. "Yeah..." She cleared her throat and pressed one hand to the side of her neck, picking through the scattered remnants of tiramisu. "So, um—so..." How did you follow something like that? ...Was a hokey, standard-first-date (her internal monologue caught on that phrasing-was this a date, or was it just a natural result of Kaoru's sparkling aura?) question out of the question? Well...it couldn't hurt to play it safe, right? "Have you...seen any good movies lately?"

There was a quick chortle from across the table, which was met with a giggle in kind. Rimi's gradual and long-overdue relaxation seemed to be lifting Kaoru's spirits as well. "Alas, no. My work on the stage has kept me from the cinema these past few months. After the premiere of our show, however, I'd like nothing more than to study a soul-rending portrayal of a burning romance." She shifted to the side, folding her arms. "And you?"

"Well, I haven't really had the chance to go out much lately...we had rehearsals Tuesday, the exam yesterday, and in-between—oh!" Rimi's face lit up, as if illuminated by the typical massive lightbulb that tends to indicate having an idea. "I saw Madrid Tango!"

"Ah, Madrid Tango?" Kaoru's mind was already alight with possibilities. She passed one hand across her face, shutting her eyes. "A passionate tale of one night's last dance, shared with—"

"Oh, uh, actually, no—i-it's a spinoff movie made by the creators of Dance of the Dead!" Rimi beamed, her hands balled up in a halfway fist-pumping action in front of her, enthusiasm suffusing every cell.

"Dance...of the Dead?" A faint wrinkle appeared under Kaoru's closed eyes, and for one brief moment, the studious observer would've been able to see the joints in her hand stiffen. Rimi, enveloped in joyful geek-out mode, was currently not a studious observer.

"Mhm! It's a zombie movie—" Kaoru's skin turned a whiter shade of pale. Looking down at her hands to count off points of trivia, Rimi utterly failed to notice. "It's named 'Dance of the Dead' because they—you know how normally zombies shamble sort of aimlessly? In this series they move really quickly and jerkily, so the characters say it's like they're dancing—the sequel got really overblown and kind of silly, plus they focused on digital effects rather than practical ones—oh, but it did have some really good moments! But the studio cut the budget for the third one so the creative team thought they might as well experiment with a spinoff, scaling down the setting, and it looks really good from the trailers! It focuses on a group of Japanese students taking a class trip to Spain, and they get lost from the rest of their class while the outbreak starts around them, and while they're going back to the hotel they hear screams from the church and they see a zombie staring at them and their teacher—" Midway through her breathless monologue, Rimi finally noticed that Kaoru didn't seem to be breathing, either. "Um, I—sorry! I went on for a bit there, didn't I..." She leaned back, eyes flicking down and noting that Kaoru's folded arms had turned into a rigor mortis grip digging into her biceps. Her eyes went back up, letting her words come out gently and one by one. "Kaoru? ...Are you okay?"

One drawn-out inhale through clenched teeth later Kaoru opened her eyes, set into a bleary squint. "Indeed! Perfectly. Although, I...must confess, I don't know what you see in films like that." Her muscles unwound slightly and her grip loosened, leaning back in her seat. "There are horrors enough in this world...in the words of the famed Ms. Nietzche, when you gaze long enough into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you."

Rimi felt a clump in her chest, sinking, bobbing, staying. "Well, they..." Her voice faltered into a mumble. Most of her instincts were to shake it off, apologize, change the subject; she could talk about things like this with her friends, but with someone like her the chance felt too precious to risk. Having made her uncomfortable hung in the air, casting a pall, and she was probably nice enough to insist it was fine but it _wasn't_ and—her hand curled around her empty mug, gripping it tight. Her head wasn't clear. She needed to tag someone in...what would her friends say? ...Well, Kasumi'd probably go "Ugh, those are way too spooky! Rimi, we all love you, but you can't talk about stuff like that to people you like!", so that was one point down. Her internal Arisa chimed in: "Yeah, you've gotta pace yourself with that kind of thing. Still...Kaoru's interested in art of all kinds, right? And she always tries to understand people from their point of view. Maybe you can make it like, an acting study or something." From the corner, a hypothetical Saaya: "Mhm. Someone who's important to you wants to understand the things that are important to you, right? Don't worry about it, you've got this." followed by a nod from an O-Tae figment, taking a break from strumming its guitar: "Explain, and she'll know. Easy."

She steeled her resolve and met her eye. Backing away wouldn't help either of them. "Well, th-there's a lot of interesting stuff in horror movies. What you're afraid of...sometimes, what you're afraid of being. Zombies are just people who forgot who they were, a lot of the time...ghosts, too."

Kaoru studied her intently, scrutinizing her tense hands and unwavering eye contact, before nodding. "Identity...a subject familiar to all philosophers. I believe I understand."

"Y-yeah! So there's some interesting concepts and stuff, but mostly to me it's..." She paused for a second, plucking up her nerves. "You're right that there's scary things everywhere, but there's something kind of...relaxing? About getting to see it and knowing it's fake. You sort of get to think about what you'd do in these situations, how you'd manage...you get to see the scary stuff beforehand, and sort of plan for it. You know that if you were really in that sort of place you probably couldn't handle it at all, but you get the chance to pretend maybe you could...and when the characters make it out, you get to feel like maybe you could too." The treadmill of her explanation went smoothly, up until her next words: "I-it's kind of like seeing you on stage."

For one split second she stiffened up, clenching the mug in her hands so hard it hurt. This wasn't the fear she was planning to face, but her own words echoed in her head: _Backing away wouldn't help either of them._ Rimi relaxed, and the words kept flowing. "I mean, you're just so—you're so—you're _really_ cool!" Kaoru lifted one shoulder in an elegant half-shrug and opened her mouth, then let it purse into a smile as Rimi kept going. "You're so brave and so confident and so skilled and you look like you've been doing it your whole life—you look like you've never been scared of anything! And maybe I'm not that scared of horror movies, but I'm scared of a lot of other things, like...hurting my friends, or not being useful, or—or not speaking up when I should...and you never seem to have a problem with any of that. I mean, not that you're not scared of those things either, but you've..." Her grip had relaxed, but her shoulders were tense and rolled up high. Her eyes went to the side, tracing the lines of the table's wood patterning. "You've been a really huge inspiration to me. And when I see you on stage, I just..." She let out a heavy sigh, slumping her shoulders. "I wish I could feel like you."

Kaoru eyed her in silence, face still, before leaning forward. "Believe me, you do." Her fingers gently began pulling one of Rimi's hands from her mug. Rimi breathed deep, looking up and finding herself taken aback by the stoic gravity to her expression. Both of Kaoru's hands joined around Rimi's, gentle and warm. "Rimi, when I was young, I used to..." A brief yet decisive pause. "...have a friend who was very shy. And as the years went by, another friend introduced her to theatre. At first she thought being in a play was impossible, but her friend supported her performance, and she found herself enjoying herself. She fell in love with the stage, then. That friend found comfort in the roles she played; through her acting she began understanding other people, and thus, began understanding herself." She squeezed her hand, pressing softly over her knuckles. "You may feel like you put on a mask on stage, but that mask shows you so clearly—your support of your friends, your hard-earned skill, your unstoppable spirit. _You_ are an inspiration to _me_ , and I beg you to never doubt that."

"...Th-thank you." Rimi drew in a deep breath. If it had been just her, she might've started dissecting the words, wondering what she could do better, worrying how much of it was just said to reassure her, but...there was something about Kaoru. She devoted herself to whichever role she played, firmly and faithfully, and when she truly wanted to get a message across she seemed to blaze with an aura of absolute conviction. Right here, right now, Rimi believed every word. Well...all the ones that mattered, at least. "I'm okay. Thank you." At the back of her mind was a gentle nudge that this was the correct time to pull away. She didn't. "I'm a bit curious...about the theatre, when did you—"

"Me...?" Kaoru's eyes widened in a brief flash of shock.

"Oh!" Despite a brief burst of panic, Rimi backtracked quickly. "Um—I mean, your friend!"

"...Fufu, I see." Bringing one hand up to her face, Kaoru arched her eyebrows and let her eyes slip shut. Rimi pulled her hand away, purely for the purpose of maximizing her apologetic gestures.

"A-ah, I'm sorry! I didn't want to hurt your feelings, but I—"

Kaoru's arms swished windmill-like through the air, pressing one hand to her forehead and crooking the other by her side in a practiced counterbalance. "Your hawklike gaze pierces through even this masterful facade...! Such an observant little kitten you are! But in your concern, you doggedly stuck to the tale I'd offered you..." One of her eyes snapped open, pinning Rimi with a needlepoint focus as if she was the only being in existence. Rimi felt her brain fizzle, and in a moment of pure clarity knew that she'd never get tired of that. "A hawk, a kitten, and a dog? You are a fascinating chimaera, Rimi Ushigome!"

"H-hahaha...thank you—" It was a hard compliment to respond to, and she wondered where to go from here. Fortunately she didn't have to come up with an answer as a rapid thumping made its way to them over the wooden floor, heralding the arrival of a pen-clicking Tsugumi. She inhaled loudly, and seemed to have developed bags under her eyes on the strength of this shift alone.

"S-sorry! You waved for me, right?" Her eyes bounced between the two. Rimi had to stifle a laugh as Kaoru pulled her arms back to her sides, a small bead of sweat forming on her temple. "So, what would you like to ord—oh, wait, no, you were already served..." She pushed one hand up to her face, giving the side of her head a light and localized massage. "Sorry...it's been a really long day. At least the lunch rush is winding down now..."

She was right. With both of them embedded in the pleasant muddle of their conversation they hadn't noticed as the office workers and high schoolers grabbed their coats one by one, filing out into the breezy, frigid streets. The two of them were just about the only ones left, alone amid a cluttered battlefield of pastry crumbs, discarded snacks and half-finished drinks. Rimi blinked, then threw Kaoru a soft smile. "I guess we'd better get going, then."

Kaoru paused for a moment, contemplative, then gave her a nod in response. After paying their check (to a hearty "Thank you, please visit Hazawa Café again! I-I swear we're less busy around three to five PM!"), Rimi donned her coat and Kaoru folded hers over her arm. Stepping out into the cold, it was hard not to shiver; it was a far cry from the café's welcoming environs. The bustle was nowhere near stopping, though it had slowed down a bit—a middle—aged woman passed by, checking her watch and grumbling to herself. Two high schoolers at the window of an accessory shop were bickering about what would be a better gift, a blue rabbit brooch or a brown one. An elderly man standing near a charity shop held out a Santa hat for donations.

Rimi peered up at Kaoru, who was staring over the tight-packed rows of people. Despite having her coat over her arm, she wasn't shaking at all. She seemed to be taking in the spectacle of the city all over again, illuminated by decorations that were glinting from both frost and strings of light. "...A wonderful setting. I should invite the rest of the theatre club here. Inspiration is a gift to be shared." Rimi gave her a brisk nod, plumes of breath emerging as smoke in the chill air. Kaoru's eyebrows shot up, zapped by realization. "Ah—and that's right..." She turned back to face Rimi, trademark smile emblazoned on her face. "A friend of mine bought two tickets to the Historical Museum the other day...alas, the exhibition they were interested in was cancelled last-minute, and so they have passed the tickets on to me. Would you be interested in coming with me?"

The response came as sheer reflex, burst out louder than she'd anticipated. "Yes!" Huffing deeply she blinked, drew herself back, and let her brain offer its services as a consultant before continuing. "Yes...I'd love to." Kaoru nodded and Rimi smiled, sharing a moment of contented tranquility. Then Rimi put one hand to her cheek. She had a theory, but was unsure about what to do about it...well, it had gone down well the first time. She peered upwards, eyes soft and brows raised slightly. "Um...would this be the same friend that was shy and nervous before finding the stage?"

Her heel clicked against the pavement as Kaoru jolted back, apparently not expecting to be caught in the same web twice. A faint red crept onto her cheek and she glanced to the side, her impenetrable smile now slightly wider than usual. "A-ahaha...the very same."

Rimi beamed with the surprised excitement wielded by anyone who didn't know they could turn the tables. Having her be the one to blush and avert her eyes was a curious sensation, and she felt a frisson of pride bubble up inside her. As Kaoru gathered her composure, she gathered the experiences of the past half-hour-and-a-bit, assembled them into a lens and couldn't help but see her in a new light.

Kaoru Seta. Anxious. Troubled. Shy. Flawed...piecing together the date ( _it had been a date, it must have been_ echoed her jubilant internal choir), Rimi saw a Kaoru that seemed...not really realer, not as such, but more down-to-earth. More understandable. Not a star pinned to the heavens, the subject of distant idolization. Still as radiant, just not as blinding. Someone she could do something for. Someone who might sometimes need her help, rather than always being the one to offer it...even in the midst of the frigid December air, the thought warmed her heart. ...Though, maybe that was remnants from the thrill of holding her hand.

"Ah—" Kaoru's voice snapped her out of her private musings, and she glanced up at her, looming at her full height. "That's right. My apologies; I forgot to give you your Christmas gift."

 _That wasn't the gift?_ she thought. "Then what—" she started, and was immediately interrupted by the brush of Kaoru's lips against hers.

Time slowed to a crawl, in a sensation that was starting to become familiar. Due to the height difference Kaoru had to curve downwards slightly to meet her lips, in an acrobatic-if-unsustainable pose. With every sense on high alert Rimi was overwhelmed by a flood of information—warmth, eyes, hair tickling, curve of her chin, one hand pressing into her back—and found herself unable to move down to an atom. Finally, after one endless second, Rimi felt her date shift as she began to pull away. In one swift motion Rimi grabbed onto the front of her vest, pushed her feet down, braced against the ground, and kissed back with all her might.

After a period of time that seemed three times as endless, they separated. Kaoru's knees were still bending slightly from the contorted kiss, and after a long, gasping inhale she drew herself up to her full height, cutting a princely figure. A tint of pride blazed in her eyes, intensifying as they settled on Rimi's. "Ah...! Parting is such sweet sorrow, Rimi Ushigome." She planted a kiss on the palm of her hand, and with a gentle exhale let it flutter onto her immobile-and-heavily-breathing date before turning on her heel. "Au revoir. I'll see you at the museum."

Rimi huffed and puffed, her breath producing a chimney's worth of smoke, her hands frozen in front of her and grabbing at nothing. A distracted observer might have mistaken her for an extra in one of her beloved zombie movies. The traffic and music of the city melted into silence, leaving only a frenetic mishmash of voices to pour into her ear.

_"No, it can't be tomorrow—yes. Yes, we've already talked about this, it has to be Friday—"_

_"1000 yen! Just 1000 yen to bring a family joy for life!"_

_"Come on, it'll be perfect! How many times do I have to remind you? Blue's her favorite color, like her guitar!"_

Huh? That sounded like...

"And how many times do I have to tell _you_ blue rabbits don't exist?! Seriously, what sort of—"

"Ah!" One of the high school students at the nearby window turned around, revealing an unruly, distinctive hairdo and a familiar face. She reached over, giving her friend's shoulder a quick nudge. "Arisa, hang on, that's Rimi!"

"Eh? Wh—" Her twin-tailed companion whirled around, hissing under her breath before chasing after the suddenly-jogging Kasumi and her bright bellow of "Riiiimi!". "You can't just take off like that!"

Kasumi's pace slowed, hopping to her frozen friend's right-hand side. "Hiya, Rimi! We didn't know you'd be in town today, otherwise we would've invited you-we're buying Christmas presents for the gang!" She brought her hand up to her face, briefly jolting backwards. "Ah, but we've already bought yours, so no peeking!"

"Seriously—" Arisa huffed, arriving at Rimi's other side and slamming her hands onto her hips. "You've got to stop rushing after people! I'm not gonna bother chasing after you forever, you know. And besides," she lifted one hand up, gesturing to the statuesque Rimi. "How do you know she even wanted to come with us? Maybe she had plans for today, did you think of that?"

"Ah! You're right! Hey, Rimi, do you have any plans?" For once there was silence, Kasumi's motormouth hitting the emergency brakes, and with nothing to riff on Arisa started paying attention to Rimi's unusual stillness as well. "Uh...Rimi?"

Without warning, without room to prepare, and without bending at any joints, Rimi began falling backwards, stiff as a ruler from tip to toe. Kasumi gasped and instinctively shot out her arms to catch her, quickly followed by a wide-eyed Arisa. The two of them stared down at the rhythmically breathing Rimi, looked at each other, then looked back down to her.

The panic was inevitable. "A-aah! She's fainted! Arisa, give her mouth-to-mouth!" Kasumi lifted up her arms, tilting Rimi slightly towards Arisa—who balked, glaring back at her and sputtering.

"Wh-what?! Why do I have to do it?! We both learned first aid in PE!" Arisa shifted her fainted friend right on back towards Kasumi, who blinked and straightened her back.

"Uh—right, yeah! Sure! Yeah, I can definitely do it! I'll just, uh—" She leaned forward, then stumbled as Arisa yanked their swooning schoolmate back towards herself.

"Hang on a minute! If that's your reaction, no way am I trusting it to you!"

Kasumi flinched and swallowed, her voice wavering slightly back and forth as she spoke. "W-well, you know, I may have kind of zoned out in class and—" In the turn of a second her tone shifted, filling with baseless confidence. "Ugh, we don't have time to argue about this! Rimi's life is in danger!"

"You don't know th—" Rimi sucked in one long, deep breath, stirring in their arms. Arisa's eyes shot down towards her immediately, her brows darting up. "Rimi! You okay?"

Inch by inch, Rimi raised her head from its prone position, staring down the street in the direction of Kaoru's departure. Through the ever-shifting crowd, she could catch intermittent glimpses of a tall figure and her flowing, bright hair. A middle-aged man rushed ahead to the other side of the street, briefly obscuring her from view, and while he passed Kaoru had turned her head to the side, peering back at her through the constant currents of people. She threw her coat over her shoulder and let loose a wide, sunny smile, so bright it shone clearly despite the distance between them...then the crowd shifted again, and she was gone.

With a soft gasp, Rimi's head plopped backwards once more. Kasumi's shoulders heaved up to keep her steady, her brief stint of moderate worry once more giving way to bug-eyed panic. "Aah! A relapse! Arisa, it's now or never!"

"W-would you cut it—" They were silenced again, this time by a noise rather than a feeling. Ringing into the air was Rimi's soft, slow laughter, building louder and louder as it went. With one hand over her heart and her eyes squeezed shut, all the tension, the shock, and the joy of the encounter finally melted out of her, and building in its place was a unique and unshakable sense of contentment. She'd been carrying it for so long she didn't really notice it until it was gone, but there was no denying it—she felt light as a feather, carried on the breeze. One last long peal of laughter burst into the air before she settled into light breathing, pulling herself back down to earth. Then—her brow wrinkled. There had been a sudden chill on her forehead, morphing into a watery patch.

Her eyes fluttered open. Starkly visible against the light gray of the clouds was a flurry of flakes, spinning in dizzying patterns, cast hither and thither by the wind's unpredictable turns. Another landed on her cheek, one on her ear. Entranced, she followed the drifting sprinklings of snow with her eyes...then, as she looked around, she finally found herself noticing the faces of two _very_ concerned friends, and she abruptly remembered where she was.

"Ah, hi...um—I can stand up, it's okay!" She leaned up out of their grasp, getting to her feet.

"Phew, thank god..." Kasumi's hands went to her chest, bobbing up and down as she heaved a huge sigh. "You really had us worried there, Rimi!"

Arisa shoved her hands into her pockets, nodding. "Definitely. Are you sure you're fine?"

"See?" She stretched her arm out towards Arisa, pointing with her entire hand. "Arisa was worried, too!"

"Of course I wasn—I mean, I— _ugh_! Getting back on subject," Arisa turned her face at a sharp angle, pointedly ignoring any avenue of eye contact with Kasumi. "Are you _sure_ you're okay?"

"Mhm! Sorry...I got kind of lightheaded for a moment. But I'm fine, I promise!" She drew herself up, as if proving a point, and gave the two a bright smile.

"I guess...if you say so. Just mention if you need anything, alright?" She burrowed her hands deeper into her pockets and thrust her shoulders up, shuddering into her coat's fuzzy collar. "Sheesh...it's really coming down."

The three of them took in the sight of the city streets, already speckled with a light coating of snow. The flakes had grown from scenic little dots to noticeable clumps, as if the clouds were dismantling and reassembling at ground level. Arisa grumbled at the thought of shovelling the Ryuuseidou, Rimi made a mental note to take a picture of the snowy landscape later to send to her sister, and Kasumi joined her hands together, eyes glittering as they reflected the thousands of light-catching flakes. "The town's really sparkling, you guys! We should—ah! That's right, Rimi!" She twirled on her heel, her other shoe clicking back onto the pavement. "Did you have any plans for today? We've still got to get gifts for Saaya!"

Arisa glanced up. "Saaya and O-Tae, remember?"

"Nah, O-Tae's settled! We're getting her the blue rabbit brooch!"

"You're still _on_ that?! Come on—" A sudden noise rang out, focusing the trio's attention. It was the café's bell, accompanied by the door swinging open and the hasty exit of a high-strung high-schooler; Tsugumi was zipping up her coat, her bag swung haphazardly over one shoulder. Finishing with her coat she glanced up and recoiled a step, evidently startled by the presence of the three of them.

"Ah! Hi, everyone, I, um—"

"Heyhey, Tsug—" Kasumi's cheerful introduction was bodyblocked by Arisa, who sidestepped to cover any rushing approaches. Kasumi settled for an enthusiastic background wave. "Hi, Tsugumi. How's your day?"

"Honestly?" She seemed to consist entirely of one huge, tensed nerve, before her shoulders slumped with a sigh that could shake the snow off the rooftops. "...Today's been really stressful—the café was super busy, and while I was doing the last cleaning for my shift I accidentally spilled a cup of coffee over a stack of printouts I was keeping behind the desk, so now I've got to take care of that _again_ and the library closes soon and—"

"That's no problem!" Kasumi beamed, cutting her off with the unyielding confidence of the cluelessly supportive. "We ca—"

"We can help!" Rimi stepped forward, leaving a light boot imprint in the smattering of snow. "It'll be easier if we're together, right?"

"Oh, um—I mean, I'd really appreciate it but—" She faltered for a moment before rustling her head (and scattering some snowflakes that had gotten caught in her hair). "I really can't ask you to do that!"

Kasumi took a deep breath and pumped her fists, but Rimi slid into the conversation before she had a chance to start. "It'll be no problem!" Her gentle smile and soft voice had an edge of unusual gung-ho to them, all ingredients that acted as a liniment for Tsugumi's frazzled nerves. "Besides, if you're going to the library, the Shinjuku line might still be delayed—"

"W-what!?" Tsugumi's brief optimism was punctured, and she seemed to visibly deflate.

"It is? Wow, I didn't know that at all!" replied Kasumi, followed by an irate "Jeez, you should know what you're doing before you try to help—hang on a minute, you didn't notice that we took a different _train_?"

Rimi stood her ground, turning to her left. "Arisa, do you know another train for the library?" A firm "Mhmm." She turned to her right. "Kasumi, there's a clothing store near the station, right? We can get a present for Saaya on the way back." A loud handclap and a "Oh, that's right! There totally is!" She turned towards the café and, having gotten some recent firsthand learning experience, tried her hand at a radiant smile and a heart of conviction. "It'll be no problem, I promise!"

A brief pause. Tsugumi faltered, then caved. "Th-thank you guys so much...!" She stepped out of the café's doorway, getting fully enveloped in the steady snowfall and the wisps of wind. With her teeth chattering slightly, she continued: "I really appreciate it!"

"It's completely fine—don't worry about it!" Rimi shook her head and held out her hands. Kasumi grabbed one immediately, Arisa grasped the other after a show of hesitation, and Tsugumi let out a small giggle as she took Kasumi's other hand. With Rimi leading the charge, the group put up a united front against the hustle-bustle of the crowd, making their way towards their destination and leaving only four sets of footsteps behind.

The footsteps would fill up with snow, and eventually the snow would melt, and eventually most of this day would fade into the long-lost recesses of memory; but for now Rimi felt a soft champagne-like bubbling in her chest, a private delight that spilled over into frequent bursts of laughter. Rejoicing in the fleeting beauty of the ephemeral snow and of another day well spent, illuminated by the hopes of what would be brought by tomorrow...and tomorrow, and tomorrow.


End file.
